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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 22, 2002)
Multi-Cultural Fair Celebrates Diversity First Mississippi Street Fair Draws a Crowd See story and photos, pape AIO. ISnrtÌanh (©bse "The City Of Roses" Volume XXXII Number 20 Wednesday Committed to Cultural Diversity Established in 1970 www.portlandobserver.com May 22, 2002 Why Deadly Force? Walking in shoes of local police brings some answers She’s the Survivor! Portland native, former Grant student wins $1 million prize Vecepia "Vee " Towery (A P )- A Portland native and former Grant High School and Portland Community College student, was left as the last one on the island, making her the latest millionaire on “Survivor." Vecepia Towery, a 36-year- old officer manager who cur rently resides in southern Cali fornia, was voted the winner in the fourth installment o f the re ality-based TV series Sunday. Towery beat out Neleh Den nis o f Utah by one vote during the final tribal vote. Towery is the first black per son to win the show’s $1 million grand prize. The competition was taped during 39 days in the South Pacific’s Marquesas Islands. W ith the money, Tow ery plans to finish work on the home she and her new husband have been renovating. She plans to invest the rest. Towery said, “I had the feel ing that God would lead me, and he did.” Both she and Dennis were outspoken in theirChristian faith during the series, and many fel low competitors dismissed them as “Bible-thumpers.” In contrast to “Survivor” alumni who sought to prolong their celebrity, Towery said she now expects to resume her former life. But she isn’t shutting the door to staying in the public eye: “I’ll be open-minded to what ever might come my way." John Richards of the Portland Police Bureau fits KA TU Reporter Corinna Allen with a gun belt and pistol as part of a demonstration about the use of deadly force. photo bv D avid P i . echl /T he P ortland O bserver by D avid P lechl T he P ortland O bserver M embers o f the local press, including the Portland Observer, have abetter understanding about the use o f deadly force within the Portland Police Bureau because o f an educational seminar. The focus o f last w eek's hands- on event was to increase media and public awareness o f police procedures, during and after inci dents that involve the deadly use offirearms. “There are a lot o f times when we’rejust not communicating with each o th e r,” said Sgt. Brian Schm autz, o f the som etim es- strained relationship betw een police and media. An introduction to the seminar by Police ChiefKroeker called the work o f a police officer in today’s world an “awesome responsibil ity ” Journalists were fitted with a gun belt, bulletproof vest and briefed in basic handgun use on a live firing range. O fficer Cory Roberts spoke at length o f the decision making pro cess officers go through when called to make life and death deci sions. “Someone can act quicker to hurt you before you can react to hurt them ,” Roberts said. Officers are authorized to shoot in defense o f themselves or a third party when lower levels o f control have been ruled out. Media members role played as cops on the beat, going through three different scenarios set up by the department to illustrate the stress and difficulty o f the jobs officers face every day. In one scenario, partners de fend themselves against a dis turbed man wielding a handgun. In another, they were called to defend a woman whose boyfriend was threatening her with a knife. In both situations the participants had to make shoot or not to shoot decisions. After a video scenario that pit ted journalists in a shoot out with "bad guys," the often-skeptical writers and photographers could many times not recall how many shots they had fired. In one case, the photographer o f a local news paper overestimated the number o f his shots by 16. Discussions at the forum cen tered mainly on the release o f in formation issues. Journalists often feel short changed by police who provide as little information as possible to the public in order to protect the integrity o f their investigations. One reporter questioned the possibility o f police cover-ups to Sgt. Ed Brumfield. He maintained that such cover-ups would be unlikely in a system that provides so many checks and balances. continued on page A6 Pilots Lose Bid to Carry Guns WASHINGTON— The federal government has ruled against allow ing pilots to have guns in the cockpits of commercial airliners. Pilots have wanted the weapons as a means of confronting hijackers. High Court to Weigh in on Sex Offender Registries W ASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed to consider a con stitutional challenge to some registries o f known sex offenders, the second case the court will hear involving lists meant to keep tabs on potentially dangerous sex criminals. Lawmakers Want Answers About 9/11 Memo WASHINGTON — Under fire from angry lawmakers, the White House defended its decision not to alert Americans to information before the Sept. 11 attacks that Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network wanted to hijack U.S. airplanes. Police Investigate Local Shooting Machinery Saved People In WTC The 16 people who escaped the burning top floors o f the World Trade Center’s south tower owe their lives to an unlikely hero: a row o f giant elevator machines that shielded one stairway from destruc tion. They survived because the machines happened to be on the 81st floor where the je t’s nose hit. Customer shot while waiting in line outside liquor store A man was shot in the arm while waiting in a line outside the state liquorstore at 3636N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Friday. The victim, identified as Joseph Bernard Robinson, 29, suffered a gunshot wound just above his right elbow. A police sergeant happened to be in the vicinity at the time o f the shooting and reported hearing four shots ring out. Robinson told authorities he heard just one gunshot before realizing a bullet had struck him in the arm. Police said up to 50 customers were in a line that stretched outside the store when the shooting occurred just after 9:30 p.m. Neither the victim nor other customers could identify the shooter or where the gunfire originated Police said they only have a vague description o f a suspect vehicle in the area at the time o f the shooting. All-female Everest Team Turns Back TACOMA, Wash. — A group o f five American women tackling Mount Everest was forced to turn back just short o f the summit. Health problems and weather halted the climbers just 285 feet from the 29,035-foot summit. Bishops to Work on Plan for Priests Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop o f Washington, D.C., said that the Catholic Church responded too slowly to the crisis o f clerical sexual abuse, and the heat is on bishops to fix it now. The U.S. Conference o f Catholic Bishops meets in Dallas next month. Personal Bankruptcies Jump Over Past Year W ASHINGTON — Bankruptcy filings by American consumers jum ped 15.2% to 1,464,961 in the 12 months ended March 31, the government said. Personal bankruptcies also rose in the first quarter o f 2002, by 3.5% to 369,237, from the same period a year ago. Police try to determine what happened outside the state liquor store at 3636 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. on Friday after a man was shot In the arm. photo by Obesity on Rise Among Americans Over 50 D avid P lechl /T he P ortland O bserver H ! Ì fcs I l s s is !ÊES - -- -. Kmght Library *299 University o f Greg. > ''femcM to Portland Observer PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 ortland, OR • Subscription* are $60.00 per year 0033 1 4 FAX 503-2880015 A W ASHINGTON— Americans over 50 are living longer, smoking less and developing fewer disabilities, but increasing obesity could cancel the health gains, an A ARP report says. Obesity among those over 50 nearly doubled from 1982 to 1999, to 26.7% o f that population from 14.4%, the report finds. World Notes Laura Bush’s Silent Power on Tour BUDAPEST, Hungary — First lady Laura Bush is using her solo three-nation overseas tour to be a goodwill ambassador for the policies and priorities o f her husband. Bush arrived in Hungary and met with political leaders.